During the impressionable years of college students, their political orientations are still amenable. Therefore, exploring the political attitudes of college students sheds light on our understanding of Taiwan’s electoral politics. Beginning from the Sunflower Movement in 2014, college students’ attitudes toward cross-Strait relations has attracted the public’s attention. This study argues that we have to take political emotions into consideration when we analyze college students’ attitudes on cross-Srait relations. We

employ panel studies to examine how political emotions affect their stances on cross-Strait economic exchange. We demonstrate that when college students feel enthusiasm toward Taiwan or feel hopeful toward Mainland China, they are more likely to support cross-Strait economic exchange. However, students with feelings of anxiety tend to urge the government to take strict measures on cross-Strait economic exchanges. As for students with a hopeful attitude toward Mainland China, they are willing to support the Cross-Strait Service and Trade Agreement, but those who harbor feelings of anger toward Mainland China tend to be opposed to this agreement. Therefore, this study shows that political emotions play an important role in college students’ attitudes toward cross-Strait relations.